Death Be Not Proud
by landofthekwt
Summary: Inuyasha and Shiori cling to each other after their spouses die "The Long Goodbye" "Carry On My Wayward Son" and a "Life Well Lived ""The Bravest Man in the World" and "Educating Musushio" are prologues to Death Be Not Proud and an ending to Ten Years After Don't own it or make make money from it
1. Finding Hope

Title Finding Hope

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

Prompt W-10 (ib4y)

Word Count 250

Genre Hurt/comfort

Warning character death

Summary Inuyasha and Shiori go off together after their human mates die

Sakura took one final look around the old hut. It seemed empty without her mother or father.

She was disturbed from her reverie by knock on the door. Opening the door she saw a man with white hair and violet eyes dressed in the uniform of a taijiya.

"Where is my mother?"

"I beg your pardon."

"Where is my mother? This is the house of Inuyasha?"

"This was Inuyasha's house. He is not here. I am Sakura his daughter. Can I help you?"

"Mother left a note saying that she was off to see Japan with Inuyasha. She is too old to be traipsing all over Japan."

"And you are?"

"I am Mutusuhito, son of Kohaku and Shiori My father is not even a moth dead and she runs off with this dog to parts unknown leaving the family in shock."

"He left us too. I understand what he went through. My mother slowly aged before my eyes while he and I stayed young."

Musushito nodded. Kohaku had faded badly. At the end he knew none of them, yet he had lingered half alive, half dead for a year.

"Did he say why he went away with my mother?"

" He said that he lost hope when he watched Kagome die. Shiori shared those same feelings when she lost Kohaku. He said that Shiori gave him hope again and a reason to go on living": .


	2. The Taste of Death

Title The Taste of Death

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

Prompt "What is food to one man is bitter poison to others." by Lucretius

Word Count 688

Pairing Inuyasha/Shiori

POV Shiori

Warning Character deaths

Summary Shiori sets off to bury her mother's ashes

She snuck out of the taijiya village with no more than the clothes on her back and her mother's funerary urn. Kirara joined her as she waited for Inuyasha. She was surprised to see the nekomata

The cat had been her constant companion at Kohaku's bedside for the past year. She assumed that it was due to her devotion to Kohaku. Somehow she thought that Kirara would stay with their family or perhaps go back to Sango and Miroku's family

Her thoughts were scattered. Inuyasha had been surprised when she asked him at Kohaku's funeral to accompany her to return to return her mother's ashes to her home, but he had not refused her. He told her to wait for him here while he settled his affairs.

The family would be furious when they learned that their mother and grandmother had taken off with a strange hanyou to parts unknown only a month after their father's and grandfather's death. They would blame her. A bat hanyou. Not a true taijiya like the rest of them.

She needed a break. The strain of Kohaku's illness had sapped his spirit. A road trip was just the thing. Time to travel back down those roads she and her mother had taken to find Inuyasha some

sixty eight years before.

Then she and her mother had left the village to find Inuyasha, the man she wanted desperately to find. She had grown from a little girl to a young woman on that journey while her mother's health had declined.

Now she was returning to the place where she was born to put her mother to rest. This time Inuyasha would be accompanying her. Her quest to mate Inuyasha had been a failure. Inuyasha and Kagome were married with children.

Her destiny lay with Kohaku instead. Their children and grandchildren had rebuilt the taijiya village. Sango and Miroku were buried there. Their children were strong allies of the taijiya. Sango was proud of what Kohaku had done to rebuild the taijiya.

Her family wanted her to stay here, but she could not. She had buried Kohaku. If she stayed, she would have to bury her children and grandchildren. She could not face that prospect. The scent of death was too much for her.

Now she understood why so few youkai mated with humans. To youkai death was unthinkable. To see the ones they loved shrivel and grow old was painful indeed. Humans talked of growing old together, but hanyou and youkai were practically immortal. Any human mates they took would inevitably die within a few short decades.

Those who did outlive their youkai mates like her mother and Inuyasha's mother lived short lives

Seperated from both societies by their choice of spouse and the fruit of that union.

Someday she would return to the village. She did love her children and grandchildren, but today

she needed a break from the day to day grind of watching her loved ones grow old and die.

That was the real reason she has asked Inuyasha to accompany her. For a short time at least they would be together, two hanyous trying to make sense of a world in which they were required to go on without their mates for untold centuries. A chance for a new lease on life.

"What are you sitting around moping for? We are burning daylight I want to be in Kamakura by nightfall."

Inuyasha stopped and bent down offering her his back. Shiori smiled. She had always been envious of the fact that Kagome rode on Inuyasha's back. A place that she had secretly wanted to be when she had arrived in the Sunset Village .fifty eight years ago.

It was not by chance that she had asked Inuyasha to accompany her. He had been the object of her quest. Her first crush. Now that she was returning to her roots, she wanted Inuyasha with her because he was her hero. The one who saved her from her grandfather and gave her a reason to live. If she had to go home again, she wanted him to with her.

.


	3. In Hoc Signo Vinces

Title In hoc signo vinces (By this sign conquer)

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Prompt Veni, Vidi, Vinci (ib4y)

Word Count 750

Part of Death Be Not Proud (References to Entangled)

Warning mention of character death

Summary Inuyasha returns to his mother's grave with Shiori

Shiori was not happy about the detour, but she did not say anything. She was returning to her village to bury her mother's ashes with her ancestors. If Inuyasha wanted to visit his mother's grave in Kamakura, she would not quarrel with him.

She looked around at the small fishing village. It reminded her of home certainly not like the city of 250,000 which Inuyasha described. He had been six when he left. Not much older than her. His description of that night his mother died was hazy.

A fire burning the town. Waiting at the shrine under the sakura for Sesshoumaru A man killing his mother with a spear. Watching her die in Sesshoumaru's arms. Standing vigil with Sesshoumaru. Watching Sesshoumaru bury her ashes. Bitter words .before he ran off into the night.

Beyond that he was confused. For someone Inuyasha despised Sesshoumaru seemed to come up again and again. She wondered what the story was. It was clear that once they had been close, but his mother's death had caused a rift between that time could not heal.

Inuyasha found her on the beach. Sesshoumaru's directions were confusing. "Follow the main road from the beach to the shrine." were not exactly helpful. It was clear that once there had been

a great city here, but it had been burned again and again. Now it was abandoned except for the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu shrine and the fishing village.

After asking around he finally found the Wakamiya O-ji. Reaching the torii gates he found the raised pathway known as the dankazura flanked by sakura. He began to remember that night. Trancelike he watched the events of that night unfold again before his eyes.

He stood there so long that Shiori finally touched his shoulder .It took a moment for him to realize who she was and where he was. Collecting himself he walked to the small headstone by a sakura near the second torii gate. The kanji "Sixteenth Night" scratched into the weathered stone was still readable.

There was no doubt that this was his mother's final resting place. He was not sure why he had come. Shiori's journey to return her mother's ashes made her want to come here. He was ashamed that he had never returned to the grave site.

He had never come back because remembering her death was simply too painful. What was he supposed to do? Kagome had always said prayers for the dead. It seemed pointless. His mother was not here. Just as Kikyou and Kagome, all that remained of her was her ashes.

Should he beg her forgiveness for what had happened to her?. For not visiting her grave for three hundred years. For never telling her about what happened to him after she died. So many questions.

Shiori nodded as if to reassure him. He started to pray as Kagome had taught him. When he finished he clapped and started to leave several priests came rushing at him yelling "Mononoke" Soldiers and pilgrims were right behind them. Things could get ugly

He stared at them for a minute, but decided he could not risk Shiori He bent down so that she could get on his back and raced toward the San no Torii exit to the shrine. He finally stopped when he reached the place where the four great roads built by the rulers of .

He hesitated not sure which way to go. Shiori pointed toward the sea. He nodded. It was a good thing she was along since he was not about to ask the priests for directions. He did not stop running until he finally reached the beach.

Flopping down on the beach he stared out into the ocean. His trip to his mother's grave had been a disaster. It reminded him again that he lived in a Japan that did not tolerate any persons of mixed race whether human or youkai.

His mother had died for daring to love a youkai and bearing a hanyou child. Kagome came from a time where halfbreeds were accepted. They has raised their children in a place which tolerated them. Kohaku and Shiori raised their children in the hidden taijiya village.

He and Shiori could not simply run away from their problems. Their children were at risk. He would make sure that they did not have to go through what he and Shiori went would make sure that his mother's death had not been in vain.


	4. From Here to Eternity

Title From Here to Eternity

Author landofthekwt

Rating M

Prompt Unsung Heroes

Word Count 1400

Genre Romance

Warning nudity, thoughts about sex

Summary Inuyasha protects Shiori on her journey to return her mother's ashes after the death of their spouses

A/N The genesis of this story was my 82 year old father-in-law has finding a girl friend a year after his wife of 59 years died. He keeps apologizing, but the survivors do not have die when their spouses do. They deserve the right to be happy.

Inuyasha woke with the morning sun. Today was the end of their adventure. When Shiori had approached him at Kohaku's funeral about safeguarding her while she traveled to return her mother's ashes to her home village, he had jumped at the chance.

It had been five years since Kagome died. Since then he had been merely existing. He was watching the world go by. Already there were three generations of their offspring in the village.

Growing up, marrying, settling down moving on.

All except him. He had watched with horror as the woman who was born for him became older and older. Eventually, all he could do was maintain a vigil by her bedside as she slowly faded.

At the funeral the family was there, the village was there, even the remnants of those who had taken down Naraku, but when the funeral was over he was left with an empty house.

Kagome was not there. More and more he found himself drawn to the shrine where the women he had loved had been buried. Sometime he wished that he could join them.

When Kohaku died he had gone to the funeral as the head of his family. He was expected to be there. What he had not expected was Shiori's proposition.

He had jumped at the chance to go with her. A familiar face that brought him back to the time when he and Kagome were young. Fighting Naraku. Raising children. Back to the days when he felt alive. He wanted to feel alive again.

He had made arrangements with his eldest Sakura to handle family matters. Just like Kagome she was the strong one. Shiori had simply left a note for her family to find.

The path from Kaedes' village to the caves of the demon was a short uneventful trip. They had found his mother's grave in Kamekura thanks to a tip from Sesshoumaru of all people. He wondered how Sesshoumaru knew where it was.

The countryside was so much different. When he had been this way before there had been war. Now there was peace. He had never thought to hide what he was in this era, but the Tokuagawa

had become intolerant He understood enrollment at the shrines and temples, and even the ouster

of the foreigners, but the explusion of the half breed children hit too close to home.

To gain entrance to the shrine where his mother was buried, they had to cover their heads. If it had been located in the main shrine instead of the main thoroughfare, they would have been detected. As it was, they had to run for their lives.

Now they were at the end of their journey. Today they would bury the bones of Shiori's mother that they had taken out of the ashes so long ago. Then they would return to their families as if their journey had never happened.

He looked over to where Shiori should be. Nothing there, but a sleeping cat. They had been so exhausted that they had flopped on the beach in the dark so that they could complete the burial in the morning.

A scream breaks the morning silence. Inuyasha and Kirara look up to see a woman with bat wings plummeting toward the sea. In an instant Kirara transformed and they were racing toward the rapidly plummeting woman

They reached her just as she hit the water. Kirara plunged in after her, but did not reach her until she reached the bottom. Inuyasha climbed off Kirara and secured her on Kirara's back. Together they ascended to the surface.

When they got to her to shore, Inuyasha discovered that she was no longer breathing. Remembering a technique that Kagome had shown him, he began to breathe life back into her

After a few minutes of pressing on her chest and holding her nose and her mouth she coughed twice and spit sea water in his face. He hovered over listening for her breathing to become regular when the oddest thing occurred

She reached out with both arms, pulled Inuyasha to her and kissed him. For a moment he was in shock as Shiori continued to press her lips to his fervently. It was only when she stuck her tongue

into his mouth which was agape with surprise.

It was then he realized what was happening. A nearly naked beautiful woman was writhing beneath trying desperately to make him respond. He might have if he did not notice the flying suit Kagome had sewn for Shiori some fifty years ago now in shreds.

It was the suit that Kagome had made for Shiori after they discovered she had wings. Even Kagome had thought they were trysting after Shiori came home dressed only in his haori.

He had saved Shiori's life using the lifesaving methods shown to him by Kagome From the swimming strokes to what Kagome had called CPR.

He had never looked at another woman since Kikyou died. How could kiss another woman? Kagome had been born for him. To kiss another like he was cheating on her.

A huge wave towered over them carrying them to the edge of the sand. Inuyasha held tightly to Shiori to make sure that she was not washed out to sea.

When the wave receded and he determined that she was still breathing, he pushed off a surprised Shiori and tossed her his haori. "Why Shiori. Kohaku is not two months dead."

Shioir shivered. The haori was still drying from its immersion in leaned against her. Her fur already dry. Shiori opened her mouth. "I am sorry. It was a silly fantasy. When I was searching for you with my mother, those ten years, I fantasized about us living happily ever after.

After the last year with Kohaku, I needed to get away from death and feel like I was living again"

Inuyasha nodded. He knew that feeling. Protecting Shiori on her journey to bury her mother's ashes gave him a reason to live again. He had eagerly taken her offer after winding up his affairs.

It seemed too soon to be with another woman in that way. Shiori was a pleasant companion whom he had known for nearly sixty years, but he had never thought of her in that way. In some ways she was still the little bat girl to him.

Inuyasha leaned over and kissed her on the forehead "I am sorry, but I am not ready. I like being with you, Shiori. We have been through so much together. For now isn't it enough just to be together. To enjoy each others company and see where that leads us."

Shiori sighed. Her dreams had been shattered when she discovered that after her ten-year search for Inuyasha he was already married. She had picked up the pieces and moved on. Her life with Kohaku had been good. She was able to find love with him and the children

Kohaku was dead. For the past year he had been breathing, but he was not really alive. When Inuyasha showed up for the funeral, she leaped at the chance for knew that the children would not understand. That was why she left a note.

"Shiori, why did you try to fly? From what I have heard you have not used your wings since you married Kohaku."

Shiori giggled " Maybe I just wanted some big strong man to save me. You were always my hero." She did not tell him about her fantasies about him saving her,stripping aside her tattered clothing and making mad passionate love to her. That might freak him out,. Better to take things slow. They just needed to get used to each other.

Inuyasha sputtered and blushed. Changing the subject quickly he said " Why don't we get you into some dry clothes. Then we can bury your mother and then we'll see."

"We'll see" Those words from Inuyasha were something for Shiori to cling to as she clung to him as they rode on Kirara's back to the top of the cliff. The feel of his body felt so good. Her body was separated from his only his firerat. For now she would wait, but she already knew what she wanted and hoped that she could convince him to want the same thing.


	5. Burying the Past

Title Burying the Past

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

Pairing Inuyasha/Shiori

Word Count 300

Prompt I-10 (ib4y)

Warning Character Deaths

Summary Shiori reburies her mother's ashes

A/N Continuation of a series of stories about Shiori's trip to bury to her mother's ashes

Inuyasha watched Shiori as she buried her mother's ashes with the rest of her ancestors. It bothered him that they did not have a priest or priestess to preside over the burial, but he knew in Japan of the Tokugawa's no human would permit the burial of a woman who gave birth to a hanyou in shrine ground. Shiori argued that Kagome presided over the original burial at the shrine. Anything she touched was blessed.

It was only here in the village destroyed by the demon bat that she could be reburied. Despite the fact the clan of demon bats had been decimated, the villagers had never returned. They buried their own dead that day and said prayers to calm the souls of the demon bats and then departed for parts unknown.

Shiori and her mother had started their own journey to find him that day. It had taken them ten years to find him. When they arrived, he was already married with children. Shiori found love with Kohaku. Both Kagome and Kohaku were now gone. Even after five years Inuyasha still hurt when he thought about her. Kohaku had just died. Shiori was just beginning to understand the pain he felt.

In some ways, Shiori was burying the past. Just as Inuyasha had said goodbye to Kagome and his mother, she had said goodbye to Kohaku and now her mother. She refused to visit the demon bat caves. They had never been family. Grandfather was in hell and Father in heaven. That was the way it should be. Inuyasha felt a sting on cheek. Looking down he saw a person that he had not seen since Kagome died.

"Jiji, what brings you here?"

"Lord Inuyasha You must come to the Western Shiro at once Lady Rin is dying".


	6. Foolishness

Title Foolishness

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

Prompt Nonsense (ib4y)

Word Count 404

Genre Hurt/Comfort

Warning none

Summary Inuyasha contemplates the pain of parting caused by the death of the human partner in youkai/human matings

The news of Rin's illness cut like a knife. He had rarely seen her since she left with Lord Sesshoumaru for the Western Shiro. To him, she would always be that little girl who tagged along with Sesshoumaru

She had been so happy having finally bagged the bastard. A fairy tale wedding then a happily-ever-after. Was it really only fifty years ago? Where did the time go?

The kami were not fair. To allow Kagome, Kohaku and now Rin to be taken from the ones that loved them after such a brief time. He wondered if the kami had kept the youkai and humans apart for this very reasons

His pups were at least fully grown when Kagome died. She saw them all marry and bounced her grandchildren and great-grandchildren on her knee before she died. Her life span had been longer than those around them, but not nearly long even for him

Still he had asked her whether it was worth it. To give up her world for him and his children. She had laughed in his face. The world she had given up was one without him. In its place she had him and his children. She considered herself fortunate.

Her loss had been devestating to him. Without the children he would have been lost, Still he had seen the first signs of age. The oldest Sakura was sixty. Barely a teenager, but already a would bury her just as she would bury her children. .

Kagome once told him that their children would probably live for four hundred years if Inuyasha was any indication. As each generation bred with humans they became more human and as a result more mortal.

Sesshoumaru had called him a fool when he married Kagome. She would die long before he did and he would spend the rest of his long life alone.

Sesshoumaru was not immune to foolishness apparently. He had fallen for Rin just as he had fallen for Kagome. Now he would have to pay for his folly.

Inuyasha tried to think of something to tell Sesshoumaru to give him hope and came up blank. He turned to his traveling companion as they boarded the ferry bound for Kyushu.

"What should I tell Sesshoumaru?"

She put her hand in his and smiled " Remember what you had, treasure what you have, and don't give up hope for the future."


	7. When Hearts Were Young

Title When Hearts Were Young

Author landfofthekwt

Rating PG-13

Prompt: 'A heart that loves is always young.' (Greek Proverb)

Word Count 1051

POV Shiori

Warning Deals with Character Deaths

Summary Shiori visits with Rin on her death bed

Shiori could hardly believe that the shriveled old woman clinging to life before her was Rin. The Rin she remembered was the one that took in two strangers the day that Kaede had died.

They had both been eighteen together. Both struggled with the lot that life had given them. Rin had won the man she always loved in Sesshoumaru while Shiori found a new love in Kohaku.

They had lived different lives since then Shiori had become the mother to a new generation of taijiya. Her time had been spent raising the little children while Kohaku took them as soon as they were able swing a sword to learn their craft.

Rin had become a princess. For the first time in many years the children's voices echoed in the hallowed halls of the Western Shiro. Hanyous they might be, but no one dared say a word against them or they would have Sesshoumaru to answer to.

They both thought that their love would last forever. For Rin it had been barely fifty years. Time enough to see her children make her proud. She never doubted that she had made the right decision in pursuing the daiyoukai

Shiori sat down by Rin's bedside. Sesshoumaru was discussing something with Inuyasha. They had agreed to let Shiori have some alone time with Rin. It could not hurt to have someone she had loved like a sister once.

Rin lifted her head and tried to focus her eyes. The person before her was familiar, but someone she had not seen in a long time. She tried to rise, but Shiori caught her and gently lowered her back to the bed.

"Shiori?" Rin asked

"You remembered "

"How could I forget you? You look the same age you did when you and your mother showing up on my doorstep the day Kaede were the first real friend I ever had. "

"Not Kohaku?"

Rin shook her head "I liked Kohaku and kept Lord Sesshoumaru from killing him, but so long as he was with Naraku it was hard to have a relationship with him. All of us including Sango brought back too many bad memories. Did I tell you that when I first met him, he was my jailor?"

Shiori laughed Rin might be old, but she was still the same vibrant person underneath. Her smile could light up a room. Her ire could frighten even Sesshoumaru. Shiori was sure that Rin had kept him in line through the years.

Rin continued " I was sorry to hear about Kohaku. I wanted to go to the funeral, but Lord Sesshoumaru thought I was too ill to travel."

Shiori nodded " Thank for your kindness. I am sure that Kohaku would have appreciated your sentiments. At the end, it was a relief, Kohaku lay in bed for nearly a year. He did not know me or the children" She faltered.

Rin grasped her hands. "It is OK. I am sure Kohaku is in a better place where his memories can no longer haunt him.

Shiori smiled " I would like to think that he was able to put aside all pain and suffering that Narkau put him through. I know he loved me and the children. He was so proud that he revived that taijiya village and prouder still that his children and grandchildren carried on the tradition of all the taijiya that died. I think he finally felt that he had redeemed himself for killing his father and the rest. He died in peace with his family around him."

Rin nodded. " I am glad. All that I wished for was that Kohaku would be happy"

"He was"

Rin sighed " I am sorry that I never got to meet your children or grandchildren. It always seemed that there was never time and now it is too late"

Shiori teared up " It is just as much my fault. I never realized how much work being a mother really was until I married Kohaku."

"Tell me about it. Being a princess was a piece of cake compared to raising Lord Sesshoumaru 's children. Protecting them from youkai who never understood why he would marry a human or father hanyou. Even his mother found his love of humans. She always said that he must have inherited it from his father."

Shiori sighed " I understand the hatred from youkai and humans toward hanyou. At least Kohaku and I were able to shield our children from that hatred growing up by raising them in an isolated community. The location is known only to a few. We had to prepare them gradually for what they would face in the world outside our village."

Rin smiled " Even though I regret that I will not be able to see my children and Lord Sesshoumaru again in this life, I would not change a thing. Not ever girl gets resurrected twice so that she can live with her fairy tale prince in a castle. I have had a good life. Everything I could possibly have wanted."

Rin grew quiet and let go of Shiori's hand. Shiori jumped up, calling for Lord Sesshoumaru. She found him outside the door talking to Inuyasha. Imploring him to hurry, he entered the room. Taking her hand, he shook his head indicating the Rin's soul was still in this world.

"Leave us"

Shiori nodded. Before going she kissed Rin's forehead and whispered that Rin was the best sister a girl could want. She found Inuyasha outside and cried on his shoulder. She thought that she could not cry any more after Kohaku, but she was still attached to humans and it hurt her to see them die so young.

Once they had been young and followed their hearts to marry Lord Sesshoumaru and Kohaku. Rin's heart might still be young, but her body would fail her before the day was out and Lord Sesshoumaru would be left alone just she and Inuyasha already were

Human lives were such brief extinguished they left such an indelible mark on the loved ones they left behind that ensured that they never would be forgotten. Soon Rin would be gone, but Shiori would never forget her.


	8. I Will Remember You

Title I Will Remember You

Author landofthekwt

Prompt I-10 (ib4y)

Rating PG-13

Word Count 275

Pairing Sesshoumaru/Rin

Part of Death Be Not Proud

Warning character death

Summary Sesshoumaru remembers Rin

He stood by the grave long after the short service for Rin's soul. Everyone was gone, but the only one he missed was her. Would that he could have called her back from heaven. Once he had saved her soul. When he foolishly threw her life away for a sword in hell, his mother had graciously returned her to him scolding him for thinking himself a god.

She had once asked him if she died one day would he remember her. That day he had scoffed at her. She would never die. He did not belief in death. It would never touch him. Or so he thought.

Rin's death had touched him three times. Twice her life had been given back to him. Once by Tenseiga and then by the Meidou Seki. His mother had warned him that would no third. time.

At last he had learned the lesson that his father and mother tried to teach him. He knew the fear of death. When Rin breathed her last telling him she loved him, he thought would go mad. What would he do without her. She had been his rock and his strength. Without her he would have to muddle through someone. At least she lived on through their children.

She had begged him to find love again, but she should have known better. Unlike his father or brother, there was room in his heart only for Rin. He would cherish her until the end of the time.

If the Buddhists were right he would see her again. He did not think so. There was only one Rin. and he would never forget her.


	9. No Direction Home

Title No Direction Home

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Prompt "Don't confuse being 'soft' with seeing the other guy's point of view."

Word Count 1436

POV Shiori

Warning mention of character deaths

Summary Shiori prepares to return home

Neither Shiori or Inuyasha said a word after Rin's funeral. Sesshoumaru had dismissed them without a word. He did not thank them for being there because frankly he had not wanted them there. Their being there interfered with the time he had left with Rin. Now that she was gone and he had all the time in the world her wanted them gone.

Sesshoumaru arranged passage for them by taru kaisen to Osaka and higaki kaisen from Osaka to

Edo. Inuyasha was sure that Sesshoumaru found pleasure in the fact that they were on a boat transporting sake. Ostensibly they were in the crew's quarters More like a prison cell with slop bucket and no futon. Sailors were a tough lot. Many were forced into service. That would explain the like of decent accommodations.

.He had laid his fire rat robe down for Shiori to sleep on. No need for her to sleep in the filth and squalor. At least Sesshoumaru had not forced them to serve on the coastal boat to earn their passage. Neither he nor Shiori had ever been on an ocean going vessel. She had left the fishing village where she was born and never looked back.

Shiori stared out at the sea. It seemed to go on forever. When she was young, she dreamed of being a fisherman's wife. She would sell the catch that her husband brought in after keeping enough for their family. They would live that little hut with her mother and together they would be happy.

She barely remembered her father. While he had been alive, the bats had stayed away. She wished she could remember him and those happy times, but she did not. All she remembered was being beaten by the children so long as she could remember. The parents did not need to tell them not to play with her. They had all learned their lessons of hate well.

She thought that things could not get any worse. To her horror she discovered that while humans might hate her, the Hyakki bats were true monsters who lived off the flesh of people like her mother. Only Inuyasha's intervention had saved her and her mother. When he left she and her mother left. The village was destroyed. The bats were dead. Everything they had known was gone.

Her excuse for the journey had been the return of her mother's ashes. The real reason she left was to get away from the pall which had descended upon the taijiya village. All she could see was death. When she saw her children and her grandchildren, she saw their graves, not their lives. The last year of sitting beside Kohaku as he slowly died had slowly warped her view of humanity.

The path she had taken was hard. Past the grave of Inuyasha's mother. Past the burial of her own mother's ashes. Ending with Rin's death. She had tried to get away from death, yet it was everywhere she went there were graves. Her mother's death had happened long ago. She had never known Inuyasha's mother, but Rin had been someone she remembered as a young vibrant girl. To see her as old and wrinkled brought back all the horrors of the last year with Kohaku.

She needed to talk to someone. Someone who would understand what she was going through. When she invited Inuyasha she did so out of a memory of a youthful crush which had driven her to find him so many years ago. Somehow she thought her feelings would recreate the fantasy she had of him. Instead he had been surprised by her feelings. She might want to get past Kohaku because of the pain associated with his death, but Inuyasha was not ready to let go of Kagome.

Where did that leave her? She could return to the village and resume her place as mother and grandmother to the taijiya. Kohaku had been so proud of what they did together. She could not very well abandon his life's work just because he was dead. The thought of seeing her children and grandchildren did have an appeal to her. Not everyone was dying. With each generation there was new life and vibrancy in the village.

The harbor of Edo was coming into view. Soon they would be back at the Sunset Village. Inuyasha's home. It had been her home for a short period of time until she married Kohaku. She thought that a trip would do her good. Take her mind off the death she saw all around her. Instead, all she had seen was death. Worse yet she had been there when Rin died. Watching Sesshoumaru go through everything she had gone through as Kohaku slowly died.

She looked up when Inuyasha came up on deck. The fire rat robe did help against the cold. She would miss it when they parted. It had made her feel closer to him. He gave her no allusions that he felt for her the feelings that she once had, but she would like to believe that they had grown closer over their time together. Soon, they would part and she would not have an excuse to see him again. Was she ready to give up on him so soon?

:"Ready to go home?"

Shiori shook her head " It was nice to get away from the village. I had not left since I married Kohaku. But my children and grandchildren are there. They need me"

Inuyasha interrupted her "One thing I learned after Kagome died was that life goes on. Humans will grow up, get married have children, live their lives and die whether I am there or not. I need them more than they need me. They are all that is left of Kagome. She loved them so much. So long as they are there, she will be there."

Shiori put a hand on his arm. He did not have to finish his thought. Eventually, a generation would be born which had no tie to Kagome. Would Kagome truly die then? She had wanted to get away from the village because she saw Kohaku everywhere. He was desperately holding onto the village because it was all that he had left of Kagome. He looked at her and nodded knowing that she understood what he was going through.

When they returned to their villages, they would assume their roles as parent and grandparent as if nothing had happened. It was what was expected of them. In return they would receive love and companionship from their progeny. No one would ask what they wanted. Their children would see what they wanted to see and give the love and time that they could spare in their busy time.

Shiori was not ready to let go of her time with Inuyasha just yet. When she had tried to kiss him on the beach, his facade had cracked just for a moment. Maybe just maybe he had more feeling for her than he claimed to. Their time together had been too brief and filled with death. She needed an excuse to see him again. Perhaps on the anniversary of Kagome's death, she could come again. He would be feeling down and might appreciate the company.

"I enjoyed being with you." She trailed off as she caught his attention. Waiting for some reply was agonizing. What would he say? Would he reject her as he had on the beach? Slowly, he put his arm around her and hugged her. She looked up into his eyes.

"Keh" he snorted. She laughed. He might have this tough guy image, but she had seen him with Kagome and their children. It was nice to know that he had not changed from the hero who had stole her heart as a little girl. They really did not know each other, but they had something in common. Their children and grandchildren would all die before they did. It would nice to have someone you turn to in those times who truly understood what you were going through.

Home. She would go home, but it would not be her prison. She might be a mother and grandmother, but she was Shiori. A woman who had wants and needs that had not been satisfied

She was not ready to roll over and die. There was more to life than being what her children and grandchildren expected her to be. Her time with Inuyasha had shown her that there was a big world out there waiting to be explored. Maybe he would explore it with her.


	10. Until We Meet Again

Title Until We Meet Again

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

P-Prompt #11 "Day, n. A period of twenty-four hours, mostly misspent." (ib4y)

Word Count 460

Part of Death Be Not Proud

Warning mention of character death

Summary Inuyasha returns home

He flung back the shogi screen. Immediately he retreated from a woman's screams. Only when he was out the door did he realize that the woman taking the bathtub he had built for Kagome was his daughter Sakura, as naked as the day she was born

He howled with laughter. It was like he had never seen her naked before. The first time was when she came squirting headfirst out of Kagome. It was the most wonderful sight he had seen since he saw Kagome emerge from the well.

How could he have forgotten that he gave this house to Sakura?. At the time it had seemed a good idea. He would off escorting Shiori to bury her mother's ashes for kami knew how long. All he had taken was his fire rat robe and Tessaiga. His only true possessions now that Kagome was gone.

Sakura now dressed stepped outside and embraced him " Welcome home, Daddy"

He smiled. It was nice to hear those words again." Nice to be back again. Got any ramen. No ramen from Edo to Kyushu and back again.:"

Sakura laughed. It was nice to see her father was in better spirits. Since Mama died, he had been a pale shadow of himself venturing outside only to visit Goshinboku, mother's grave and the Well. She wondered what happened.

Daring to ask she ventured "What happened with Shiori?"

He looked thoughtful. Shiori was the one constant that kept him going on the trip. Without her the face of death would have been too much to look upon. " She promised to return on the anniversary of Kagome's death and I promised to be with her on the anniversary of Kohaku's death."

Sakura looked up surprised. She would never have thought that anyone could take the place of Kagome in her father's heart. What was he thinking?

"Keh. Don't go getting ideas in your head. I have known Shiori nearly as long as your mother. No one will ever replace your mother. It is just nice to have someone who has gone through what I went through. Enough talk. I was promised ramen. Where is it?"

After dinner they went and said prayers together at Kagome's grave. The shrine keepers were uncomfortable admitting hanyous to the shrine, but Kagome's name still had a near legendary status. Sakura and Inuyasha could both see that someday they would not be welcome here.

Later, Inuyasha slept in Gohinboku and dreamed of Kagome. In his dream she was telling him to be happy until they were together again. He begged her not to go telling that he could not be happy without her. She just kissed him and said "Mata au hi made"


	11. All Men Die But First They Live

Title All Men Die, But First They Live

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Prompt Clarity (ib4y)

Word Count 291

genre hurt/comfort

Part of Death Be Not Proud

Warning mention of character death

Summary Shiori returns homeShiori looked around the room. Everything was just the way that it had been the day Kohaku died. It was as if time had stopped while she went on her little adventure with Inuyasha. Not the house was dirty. Just dusty and unlived in as if people had turned their home into a shrine.

She began dusting and sweeping. When she was finished, she opened the shoji door and swept the remaining dust out the door. Unfortunately Mutusuhito, her eldest was covered with the dust that she had just swept out the door.

She rushed out and embarrassed him further by brushing him off and inviting him in for tea. When he was settled and the tea was served his mother finally stopped moving and set down to drink her own tea. There was an embarrassed silence. Shiori finally had enough she started to speak, but he raised his hand.

"I see that the dog finally brought you home last night. You could have woken me up when you came home.. I have been waiting for you to return for months."

"I didn't want to bother anyone. It was already past midnight. I was tired and just wanted to sleep in my own bed."

Her son looked at her. When she left he was not sure if she would ever come back. He knew what her life had been over the last year. When she left it felt like both of them had died. He had forced to actually assume the mantle of leadership which had been his for the last year. It would have helped to have his mother's support.

"Are you here to stay or you and the dog going to run off again?:"

Shiori laughed and patted his arm. "This is my home, Mutushito. My family is here. Why would I ever want to leave?"

"But I thought"

"I just needed some time away. I sat by your father's bedside watching him die for a year. Death is a hard truth that I had to learn. Now I am ready to live again."

"What about Inuyasha?"

"Inuyasha is a dear friend who was there when I needed someone. He will never replace Kohaku.

Both of us have watched our spouses die. We both need someone to lean on who is not family, but who understands what we are feeling. I will be going to his village on the anniversary of Kagome's death and he will coming here on the anniversary of Kohaku's death."

Mutushio looked at the floor. It was good to have mother home. The world made sense again. Knowing that she would be here all his life was comforting. When he did not speak. Shiori finally asked " So what happened here, while I was gone.?"


	12. Same Time Next Year

Title Same Time Next Year

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Prompt I-12 (ib4y)

Pairing Inuyasha/Shiori

Part of Death Be Not Prund.

Word Count 350

Warning mention of character death

Summary Kohaku's memorial service is held on the anniversary of his death

The chill in the mountain reflected the mood in the village. Not everyone wanted to hold the memorial service. Even more did not want the service to be open to outsiders. Kohaku was the father of the taijiya. It was only fitting that the service should be open only to those who followed the taijiya way.

Shiori had stood in the council and argued against this position. Kohaku was a brother to Sango. His nieces and nephews who lived in the Sunset Village should be permitted to attend. They were family just like the children and grandchildren.

The need for secrecy weighed against this position. The more people who knew the location of the taijiya village, the more likely that the demons would come in force as they had in Naraku's time.

In the end it was decided that they should restrict the service to the children of Shiori and Kohaku. Shiori said nothing of her invitation to Inuyasha. Only Mutusuhito knew. He had held his tongue in check during the discussion.

The family had already ruled against their own mother. How would they feel if an outsider appeared at the service? He knew how he felt when she had gone with Inuyasha to return her mother's ashes.

He was no more welcoming than he had been a year ago, but he understood her position. In Kohaku they had lost a father and grandfather. When Kohaku died she had lost a lifelong companion.

Still, he hoped against hope that Inuyasha would not come. Better to let things go back to normal or as normal as they could get without Kohaku.

The service was disturbed by noise at the front gate. The cursing could be heard all over the village. It could only be Inuyasha.

Shiori brightened as Inuyasha bounded the wall just a step ahead of his pursuers. Holding out her arms, he circled in his embrace. Suddenly, she felt much warmer.

"I was afraid you weren't coming" She murmured.

"Keh, I'm here aren't I" He replied. Indeed he was and for the first time that day she smiled.


	13. As Time Goes By

Title As Time Goes By

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Prompt: "The difficulty is not so great to die for a friend, as to find a friend worth dying for."

Epilogue of Death Be Not Proud

Word Count 845

POV Shiori

Warning none

Summary The road goes ever on.

Shiori always felt uncomfortable when she had come to the shrine over the years on the anniversary of Kagome's death. There were reminders of Inuyasha's wife everywhere. Kagome's house. Kagome's family. She had even got to watch as Kagome grew up and disappeared down the well to meet Inuyasha.

Goshinboku where Inuyasha had been sealed for fifty years. The Well which had brought Kagome to Inuyasha. The Shrine itself was dedicated to Kikyou, but Kagome had reached almost mystical proportions as the two mikos who had helped defeat the evil hanyou were buried here.

She had realized early on that she could never compete with Kagome or even her memory and she never tried. Inuyasha had told her that Kagome was Kagome. No one would ever replace her.

At that same time Inuyasha realized that Kohaku would always be first in her heart. They had been through so much together. Moving Inuyasha's family from the Sunset Village to the taijiya village as Tokugawa administration forced all half breeds to leave Japan. Miroku and Sango's descendants had joined the migration which widenedthe gene pool in the community. .

Inuyasha had stayed behind. Still reluctant to leave Kagome,he had watched over her grave as Japan changed. Edo changed from a small castle town into a one million person capital of Japan. The shrine keepers may have forgotten Kagome, but he made sure that upkeep on her grave was maintained.

He kept his promise to Shiori, returning every year to the taijiya village on the anniversary of Kohaku's death. It gave him time to catch up with his family and to spend time with Shiori. The time with his family and Shori increased until he was spending all his time there except the time he returned with Shiori on the anniversary of Kagome's death.

There was speculation that they would marry and have children of their own, but Inuyasha had once explained to Shiori that so long as Kagome still existed in the future that he felt like he was cheating on her if he asked her to become his wife.

Shiori understood. Although her children were scandalized, it did not stop Inuyasha from building her a house and living together as husband and wife. Over the years the families became closer as Kagome's descendants intermarried with Kohaku and Sango's descendants.

Over the years the blood Shiori saw more and more of her descendants die or move away. Gradually, the taijiya village was forgotten as the number of youkai declined with the peace enforced by Tokugawa regime. Those leaving promised not to reveal its location.

It had been hard to see the last of her children die. Mutusuhito lived until the beginning of the twentieth century, but his blood was only one quarter youkai. Eventually his humanity caught up with him. On his death bed he made Inuyasha promise to marry his mother. He died happy when he saw the ring that Inuyasha had bought for her and heard the promise he had made to her.

Twenty generations had come and gone. She had watched her children's greatgrandchildren grow up live and die. Although it hurt every time, she would have traded her time with Kohaku for the world. Inuyasha understood this. He went through the same agony with Kagome and his progeny

Today was the day. Kagome had gone done the well. Inuyasha had insisted on allowing the Higurashi's sufficient time to grieve the loss of their daughter before revealing his presence in this era. He regaled them with tales of his life with Kagome.

Only when he was sure that they accepted the reality of Kagome's death did he reveal the location of her grave which he had been guarding for nearly five hundred years. Mrs. Higurashi joined him in a service for Kagome's soul conducted by Ji-chan

When he thought she was ready, he took Mrs. Higurashi to the grave to ask her and Kagome's permission to marry Shiori. Mrs. Higurashi did not hesitate. She had seen what Shiori meant to Inuyasha from their visits to the shrine. She knew what it was like to lose a spouse

She hugged him and told him that she was proud of him. Together they walked to where Shiori was waiting by Goshinboku. Reaching out she hugged Shiori and whispered "Welcome to the family."

Mrs. Higurashi insisted that both Inuyasha and Shiori call her Mama. They were married in front of Goshinboku by Ji-chan after Shiori went to Kohaku's grave to ask his permission to marry Inuyasha.

They made up for lost time by having twins. Mrs. Higurashi loved being able to spoil her dog-eared bat winged grandchildren. Inuyasha and Shiori named Kohaku and Kagome with their grandmother's blessing.

Together they were able to watch another generation grow up. They still went to the graves of Kohaku and Kagome on the anniversary of their deaths, but they never forgot the lesson that they learned over time. All men might die, but first they lived and it was important to cherish them every day of their lives.


	14. Up in Smoke

Title Up in Smoke

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Word Count 586

Prompt Love Letter (Valentine Day Challenge for unsung heroes)

A Prologue to Death Be Not Proud

Paring Kohaku/Shiori

Warning Character Death cremation

Summary Shiori writes a love letter to send to Kohaku in the after life

_Beloved_

_We have come to the end of our journey together. I cannot join in this part of your , I must stay behind to tend the village, it's people and most of all our children until it is my time to see you again._

_I only hope that I am worthy of you when I pass on, so that we can be together forever. I have no doubt that our souls are entwined so that having met in this life, and we will meet again in the life to come._

_Until I met you, I had never known love. I dreamed of love, chased love, but never found it. In your eyes I became precious, because you wanted me and needed. Knowing that I strived to become worthy of you._

_I hope that I was worthy of you. Remember me fondly as I shall always remember you. I could never tell you what I really felt about you while we were courting. Those thoughts I kept hidden in my pillow book._

_Late into the night I would note everything I thought and felt about you into this book. The words I could never say to you. Ssaying them to my pillow allowed me to keep going when it seemed that I might burst with joy._

_My joy was that you could feel what I felt. Understood my thoughts completely without my ever saying them. If not for your understanding, I would have completely failed to express what I felt for you._

_Out joy never ended until the day you ended. Even when you did not know me at the end, it was such a comfort to be with you to the end. When you died, my life became empty again and I truly realized what I lost._

_I leave to you my pillow book so that you can read the words I never said. May they comfort while death separates us.. Until then may the Kami watch over you and bless you and if I am worthy of you we shall meet again._

_Yours _always, Shiori.

Shiori looked up from the tear-stained epistle. She tied the scroll to the bundle with the ribbons she had always worn in her hair. Kohaku had always liked them. On the outside scroll she wrote Kohaku's name so that he would know that the letter and pillow book was for him.

She walked outside to Kohaku's pyre where the children had all assembled. Placing the letters on his chest she stopped and stared. She could not help herself from kissing him one last time. Her eldest son helped her back to her place.

Nodding to the priest, she watched as he lit the pyre using the letters as tinder. Late into the night it burned as the letters and Kohaku became nothing but ash. Shortly, before morning she felt a tug on her cloak

Looking up she saw a spectral Kohaku grinning at her. " Thanks for the letters. I shall treasure them always. Until we meet again, Beloved."

Shiori reached out to him, but he seemed to fade into the sunrise. Her son was staring at the place where Kohaku had been. She put her arms around him knowing that she would depend on him

"Come son. Your father has moved on. Lets go home and prepare for the rest of our lives. Your father has laid the foundation, but we must continue his work so that we will be worthy of him when we meet again."


	15. The Family Plot

Title The Family Plot

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Prompt Race (unsung heroes)

POV Shiori

Part of Death Not Proud

Warning none

Summary Shiori comes back to the cave of the Hyakki Bats to put their souls to rest.

The caves of the Hyakki Bats had been empty since the day she left her village. An entire race died that day. Not one of the monsters remained, yet she could not face the truth.

It was only now that she was married to Inuyasha and bearing his child that she was willing to face the nightmare that her ancestors represented.

In her mind she was still that an eight-year-old girl, sold by her mother to her grandfather, surrounded by man-eating monsters who offered her only human flesh to eat.

She had not eaten or slept all the time she was in the bat caves. All around her huge monsters sated themselves by carving off pieces of the villagers they had just eaten.

The most intimidating was her grandfather whose power radiated throughout the cave. Still it was his need for her as guardian that had brought him to ask for her from her mother.

Inside the blood coral she could feel the power of her family. The youki of the guardians was preserved. Her family. Nothing more than a pack of blood thirsty monsters. Save one, Her father.

The man who had married her mother. Protected the village and saved her in the end. He gave her hope that she could more than just a man-eating monster.

It was for his sake that she finally returned to the caves of Hyakki bats to put their souls to rest. They might monsters, but they were family and deserved peace.

She smiled at Inuyasha. He had saved her once by killing the Hyakki bats from which she descended. Now he gave her the courage to put them to rest so that she could on with her life with Inuyasha.


	16. Shiori is Shiori

Title Shiori is Shiori

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Prompt Standin (unsung heroes)

Part of Death Be Not Proud

Word Count 300

POV Shiori

Warning none

Summary Shiori has prewedding jitters

Ridiculous. Her feelings. Her fears were ridiculous. Yet she could not deny that she felt jealous.

Jealous of Kagome. A woman who died nearly five hundred years ago. Yet Inuyasha refused to

marry her until Kagome left for the Sengoku Jidai in 2008.

She and Inuyasha had lived together for nearly as long. Openly as the head of both families in the house Inuyasha had built for her. Tomorrow would be different. She would get out of her bed in her house and come to the Higurashi Shrine to be married.

After all these years was she nothing but a stand-in for Kagome. She had heard the stories about Kikyou from Shippou. Kikyou was a word that was never spoken between Kagome and Inuyasha while she was there. The dead should stay dead.

For all this time, Kagome had stayed dead. Shiori had come to the shrine to be with Inuyasha on the anniversary of her death, but he kept their home in the Sunset Village until all the children had died or moved away.

It was only when Kagome came back to life that things changed. Suddenly, everything revolved around Kagome. Inuyasha felt that he had to protect Kagome even though she was not the same Kagome.

At last the day came when Kagome left for Feudal Era. On that day, Inuyasha shut himself up in his room and refused to come out. Afraid that he would do something that would change history forever

Today it was Shiori who would not come out of her room. Afraid that the last five hundred years with Inuyasha was just a fairytale that would vanish if she went to the shrine for the wedding.

Why were they getting married anyway? Everyone just assumed that they were. It had never mattered to her until now. Why did it mean so much?

"Shiori, if we don't hurry we will be late for our own wedding"

Shiori slowly exhaled. She had to ask him " Am I just a stand in for Kagome?"

Inuyasha was shocked. Those were the words that Kagome had said to him all those years ago. His words then had seemed profound so he repeated them. " Shiori is Shiori. Kagome was Kagome. I was married to Kagome, but she died. Today, I am marrying you."

"Why now? Why marry me now? Is it just because Kagome is gone forever?"

"Let me tell you a secret. Kagome and I never had a marriage ceremony. We lived together as husband and wife just like you and I have for the last five hundred years."

"Why now?"

"Because I promised your son Mutusuhito, on his death bed that I would marry you. Because

Mrs. Higurashi needs someone to support now that Kagome is gone forever. Because I love you."

The door slowly opened. Shiori was dressed in her going-away outfit for the promised honeymoon. The wedding kimono was at the shrine where they should have been an hour ago.

As Inuyasha bent down to kiss her, she whispered " I love you too. I will never doubt my place in your heart again.


	17. The Long Goodbye

Title The Long Goodbye

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

Prompt "One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love." by Sophocles

(unsung heroes)

Word Count 1325

Warning deals with Alzheimers Character death

Summary Kohaku dies An ending for Ten Years After and a Prologue to Death Be Not Proud

Kohaku died by inches. For so long he had been the leader of the taijiya. No decision was made without his consent. Each candidate had to pass the strict tests that his father passed down to him and his sister.

It was hard to tell when he began losing his mind. He would forget names and places only to remember them later. Everyone assumed that he was just getting older. Not many were older than sixty in the Sengoku-Jidai Kohaku was more than seventy when he began experiencing memory loss

The person who might have told them what was happening was too ill to travel by that time. Kagome might have told them what was happening to Kohaku, but even she would have said that not even the science of her era could prevent what was happening to him.

Kohaku outlasted them all. By the end he was 79. Kaede was fifty years dead. Sango and Miroku died more than ten years before him. Kagome died only a year before he did. Of the humans involved in the Naraku's demise only Rin remained.

The memory loss became noticeable when Kohaku had a hard time remembering the names of the new taijiya. He still knew the names of all his children and grandchildren, but he would have to be reminded every time he was introduced to a new taijiya.

Kohaku had been the leader. Until the memory loss began he had been involved in every negotiation with the shogunate and the surrounding daimyo. Musushito was forced to take the lead because his father found these tasks increasingly difficult.

As his memory failed, people were forced to make allowances for him. Slowly, the duties he could not handle were taken away from him until he was nothing but a figure head. He was kept away from important functions where his condition would become apparent to all

Soon he was not seen in public at all. He had become an embarrassment to the taijiya. Kohaku could no longer remember events that happened just yesterday. He would ask about things that he had asked about just the day before.

While Musushito took over running the taijiya village, Shiori found that she was more and more responsible for handling Kohaku. She had always run the household. Now she had to take care of the day-to-day matters that Kohaku used to handle because he was no longer able to do so.

Soon he was unable to remember even simple things. Shiori had to dress him and take him to the toilet because he could not remember who to do so.. He could still remember who he was, but it hurt Shiori when he occassionaly forgot who she was.

If she lost track of him for more than a minute, he would wander away. Musushito would bring him back kicking and screaming Shiori had to make apologies to her own son for losing track of him. When Shiori went to Kagome's funeral he was furious that she left him alone.

The worst part was his treatment of Shiori. Once she had been his princess. The mother of the taijiya village. Now he did nothing but complain about her. Everything was his fault. He screamed and yelled at her all the time. Calling her all manner of foul names and accusing her or all kinds of foul deeds

The last year was the worst. He could no longer feed himself. Shiori had to help him relief himself. He lay in bed all day staring at the ceiling. Shiori was not sure which was worse, that he did not know who she was or alone. She would have preferred the angry Kohaku who at least cared whether she was there or not. Now he no longer acknowledged her presence.

Musushito wished Kohaku would just die. He would like to remember his father as the vital man he had been all his life. Instead, the Kohaku before him was merely existing not drawing the life out of his mother. At least he was able to get away to run the village. His mother instead sat by his bedside enduring the slow death that Kohaku was forcing on her.

One day while he was there. Kohaku stopped breathing. For a moment Musushito thought his problems were at an end. To his surprise his mother pounded on his chest as Kagome taught her until he started breathing again. For the first time in his life he raised his voice to his mother. How could she bring the thing that Kohaku now was back to life.

His mother faced him stonily and slapped him across the face "How dare you say such a thing? That man is your Father He brought you back from the dead. Raised you to be the man that you are today. The very idea that you suggest that he would be better off dead than alive is not worthy of you and dishonors him. He would have done anything to keep us alive. The very least we can do is keep him alive until the kami are ready for him"

Musushito could not take it anymore " I wash my hands of him. I have watched him suck the life out of you. You watch over him day and night as if he were a baby, but he is not. His life is over Keeping him like this dishonors everything that he was in life. Do you think that he would want to live like this? Not knowing who he is or who you are. Not able to feed himself or go to the bathroom without your help. I have a village to run and a family to care for. You can stay here if you want, but do not bother me again about him until he is dead.

With that Musushito slammed out of the door leaving a stunned Shiori in his wake. Not knowing what to do , she resumed her vigil at Kohaku's bedside. After she finished feeding him, bathing him and emptying his bowels, she was exhausted.

Though she promised to stay awake, she found herself drifting One moment she was by Kohaku's side. The next moment she was in Kohaku's arms as he and Kirara came to her rescue. Was this a dream? It seemed so much like that magic moment fifty eight years ago.

"Kohaku, are you real?"

"Yes, Shiori I am just as you remember me so many years ago. I did not realize that you saw me as a dashing young hero"

" You were my hero, Kohaku. I was in love with you and you came just in nick of time to save me. Without this moment, we would never have rebuilt the taijiya village and had the wonderful life that we had. How is this possible? Is this a dream?'

"No, Shiori. This is the best moment in both our lives. The kami are allowing me to share it with you before I move on "

Shiori shivered " I don't want you to move on. That is why I stayed by your side this past year, so that you won't leave me"

Kohaku put a finger to her lips " I have been selfish. I wanted you so much that I could not let you go. I realize now how much I have hurt you by lingering. Give me just this one night. Hold me through the night and then release me. Someday we will be together again, but all I ask for now is tonight"'

Shiori cried but she could never refuse Kohaku. She crawled into bed next Kohaku and held tight to him. In the morning Musushito found them spooned together. Kohaku had passed in the night. He asked his mother what happened, but she told him that Kohaku's last night belonged ro the two of them and she would treasure the memory of that night in her heart till the day she died"


	18. Carry On My Wayward Son

Title Carry on My Wayward Son

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG

Prompt Mortality (iyff)

Word Count 410

Warning none

Summary Musushito is frustrated by his father's coma

Musushito was angry. Angry at his mother for insisting on staying at his father's bedside month after month. Angry at his father for not having the decency to die. Instead he lingered more dead than alive

If his father would just die, he could become the headman of the taijiya village. As it was, his authority was in limbo. He was not the headman. Instead he was just the pretender. His father's son not headman in his own right.

His father should have stepped down before his mind went. Instead at seventy-nine he clung to power unwilling to name a successor. Unwilling to trust the son that he raised to lead the taijiya since birth

The resulting chaos was predictable. Many had left already unwilling to deal with the lack of leadership. His attempts to lead the taijiya had been seen as a power grab. Some saw him as too young. Some saw him as too old. Some thought him unworthy. Most saw him as his father's son.

He had been the defacto leader for nearly fifteen years. All important missions were led by him. At fifty-five he was still young and vital. Inuyasha told him as one quarter he could expect to live nearly four hundred years.

Now it was too late. His father had been in a coma for months. His mother who might have supported him maintained a vigil at his father's bedside. Sango and Miroku who fight have supported him were dead and buried. His cousins called the Sunset Village home were strangers to the taijiya.

He stood at the jizo which marked the place where his namesake had been buried. His mother always told him that they would never have had the courage to try for another child if he had not appeared to them. His grandfather appeared to Kohaku to tell him he was doing the right thing.

He had no visions. No ghostly apparitions giving him a pat on the back. He sighed. It was up to him to lead. He would still the lead the missions just like he had for the past fifteen years. He might not be headman, but his voice would still be heard in the council.

Until his father died, he would have to muddle along by himself. He wished his parents were there to guide him, but they weren't. It was time to stand on his own too feet just like all children did when their parents were no longer there to help them.


	19. A Life Well Lived

Title A Life Well Lived

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

Prompt My life is my message." by Mahatma Gandhi

Word Count 1305

Warning Character Death

Summary Kohaku attends his own funeral

Kohaku was surprised by death. Not anything like he thought it would be. He has seen many die. Naraku brought him back to life. All he remembered was being given a choice to live and to forget and having taken it. Under Naraku's orders he had killed so many and caused the death of countless others. There were many time he regretted that decision.

Today was not one of them. Despite all the things that he did, if he had not taken Naraku's offer he would never have rebuilt the taijiya village. Never have married Shiori and had more than fifty years of happiness with her. Never had a son like Musushito to carry on his legacy and lead the taijiya.

Today was his funeral. The day that the taijiya and his family gathered together to say goodbye the father, husband, and leader that they had all loved over the years Last time he only heard Narkau's voice. This time he would hear only the voices of his friends and family. Naraku brought him back to life at a terrible cost. His family wished him only peace in the hereafter.

His family was urging him to pass on. To take the next turn on the wheel of life. He had not reached Nirvana in this life. Maybe in the next. He knew that he would not pass on. When his father and the other headman of the taijiya appeared that night at Musushito's jizo, he knew that he was not alone. All the taijiya who had fought and died here were still here, guarding the village. They would be there as long as taijiya dwelt here

Sometimes it bothered him that because he had chosen to revive the taijiya village that his father was unable to pass on. He thought that his need was like a chain holding the dead to the earth. The guilt had almost overwhelmed him. Only Shiori and Musushito made life bearable. At least he was not alone in the world anymore. He did not feel that dying was his only salvation.

Now that he was one of the dead, he knew that being a guardian was not a burden. It was a privilege A way of giving back to the community that fostered you and gave you life. Being a taijiya was not a profession. It was a way of life.

Until he revived the village, the way had been dead. If he had not come back his father and the others would have become hungry ghosts with no purpose. Only hungering for the life that they lost. Instead, they were able to guard the village from its enemies and foster the new life within its walls.

Today was his day. He was one of the newly dead. People might say prayers for the dead. They might come to the grave on the anniversary of their death, but a funeral was still special. The anniversaries were for remembrance of what once was. The funeral was for saying goodbye to the loved one we once knew and would only meet on the other side.

He could only stand and watch as each one in turn said their peace. So many generations were here. Children, grandchildren, great grandchildren. Three generations of taijiya born and raised here. They were his legacy. The boon that Musushito promised him that night at the jizo . It was by their blood, sweat and tears that the village had been rebuilt

The dead had been there that night at the jizo. He had been surprised to see them only hoping to see them when he died. It was at that time he hoped to be able to ask his father to forgive him for killing him. That night he learned so much more. He was not preparing to die. He was preparing to live.

His apologies would have meant nothing to his father, if he had not rebuilt the village into a place where taijiya could prosper. It was by living. Having children. Training them in the taijiya way and recruiting others to join them in rebuilding the taijiya village Living was the best revenge on Naraku. The only way to repay the dead for what he and Naraku had done to them.

The mourners said goodbye until there were only two left. The two most important people in his life. Musushito and Shiori. Shiori went first because Musushito would officially say goodbye for the village in his first official act as headman of the village. A place he should have held if he had not hung on so long and then lapsed into a year long coma without passing on his power.

Another regret, but one which had been cured by his death. At last the boy could become a man. No longer would his shadow cast a pall over the boys life. The boy had become a man fifty years ago. Yet he had held him back not sharing the power that should have been his. For the last year Musushito like Kohaku hung between heaven and hell .Unable to move because the living corpse of his father clung to the power that should have been his.

Shiori spoke only briefly, but he knew what was in his heart. She sat at his bedside for the last year as he lingered. No longer the vital man she loved. Merely a burnt out husk more dead than alive. They shared so much over the years. Without her will, he would have never have had the strength to achieve his dream of rebuilding the taijiya village.

She had been a mother to Musushito, but also a mother to all the taijiya. He might be the symbol of what a taijiya should be, but she was one who nurtured that dream. The day Musushito had been still born it nearly came crashing down on both of them. It was only the words of encouragement that his son said at his own grave that gave her the will to go on. Most importantly she had been the love of his life. She had been with him at the beginning and the end

None of them could have done it alone. Shiori had him and Musushito. He had Shiori, Musushito, his father and the rest of the taijiya. His father had been there when Musushito spoke. Musushito may have been Shiori's guiding light encouraging her to try again, his father was his When he saw his father, he knew that whatever happened his father would there for him. Just as he was now there for him.

When his son at last spoke, he beamed with pride. The boy was not a boy anymore. He was a man. A better man than he had ever been. To think that he and Shiori had been allowed to share his life. It was more than he could bear. His father handed him a cloth to dry his tears.

Those who say the dead don't cry don't know what they are talking. They cry rivers of tears for their regrets Kohaku had no regrets. He had lived the life he wanted. Now that he was gone, his son would carry on that legacy into the far future that Kagome spoke.

Someday his son would be by his side again. Until that day he would watch over the boy he loved and make sure that nothing bad ever happened. That is what a father did.

He looked at his father and finally understood. His father never hated him. There was nothing he needed to do to make things up to him except live. His father smiled at him, ruffled his hair and said the words that he had desperately wanted his father to say, but which he couldn't as head man.

"You did good, Kohaku"

.


	20. The Bravest Man In The World

Title The Bravest Man in the World

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

Prompt The Coward dies many deaths Julius Caesar

Word Count

Warning character in coma

Summary Shiori reflects on Kohaku's life

Shiori watched Kohaku with tears in her eyes. She could see the physical pain that he was going through and the mental anguish he was feeling. He had been a coma for nearly six months. Many thought that his mind had shut down, but Shiori knew better. She could feel what he felt. Heard the words that he uttered.

It was his own private hell. He had been it as long as she had known him. When he was explaining why he became a taijiya, he had graphically explained to her just what he had done as a member of Naraku's little band. Why he had to exterminate youkai to make up for all the humans he had killed while an employee of the Avatar of Hell.

She tried to explain that it made no difference to her what he had done while a mindless slave of Naraku. It made no difference to him. In his mind he was as guilty of every murder that he committed whether he remembered them at all. He had made the decision to join Naraku. The decision to take away his memory of the slaughter of his father and their comrades had been his. Everything he did after that was simply a result of that decision in his mind.

It did not matter that he had been under Naraku's control when he killed his father. To him it did not matter that he was dead when Naraku offered him life. That he was only eleven years of age A boy who had never gone on a youkai extermination before. In his mind he was guilty and that was the end of it. Even Sango's forgiveness did not matter. It only allowed him to live and suffer

Youkai exterminations and the reestablishment of the taijiya village were not his salvation or his lifetime achievement. They were his debt to the village to his family and everyone who had been murdered by Naraku. Only bearing that burden could he face his family and all his victims in the afterlife. Even then he was not certain that it was enough.

Shiori understood all this when she married him and moved to the taijiya village. She was his wife and bore the same burden that he did. She had been allowed her grandfather to carry out his destruction of her village by shielding him from the consequences of his act. Inuyasha had been her savior. The one who freed her from her duty to her grandfather, the blood coral and her clan.

Kohaku claimed that Kikyou had saved him. She may have given him back his life instead of sacrificing him to destroy Naraku, but left him a shell of the boy he once had been Kohaku could never the words to thank her for what she had done. Shiori tended to agree with Sango. She was glad that Kikyou saved him in the end, but her plan to use him to kill Naraku was despicable. In the end she was just glad that he was saved. Otherwise, she never would have met him.

She knew what Kohaku felt about what he had done and what he had not done. Sharing his burden was the least she could do for him. She did it just by being there. By bearing his child to carry on his duties as headman of the taijiya village. By being by his side as he struggled to rebuild village and recruit taijiya who would repopulate the village.

She listened as he told her all his sins. To her what he had done did not matter. He was not the monster that he claimed to be. Even if he was, she would have loved him anyway. That was what love is. It forgives all things. She tried to show him that he was loved. By supporting his dream she tried to make him realize that whatever happened before people can create a new life for themselves.

He was her new life. Grandfather killed her father and destroyed their village. She and her mother were driven from town to town for ten years until they reached the Sunset Village Inuyasha had been the dream that kept her going, but when she finally reached the Sunset Village she found that Inuyasha was not available.

Until she found Kohaku, she had no purpose in her life. All her dreams were dead. He and his dreams became her dreams. When she followed him to the taijiya village, she took on the mantle of wife and mother. She raised her son and supported Kohaku in his efforts to revive the taijiya village. Through their work the village became more prosperous than it ever had under his father.

Still she worried about Kohaku Even though he smiled at her, ghosts of the past still haunted his dreams. He would scream at night. Talk in his sleep to Naraku. Yell to his father to watch out in vain. All she could do was to wake him from his sleep and show him that what he had in her. Wipe out the nightmares with her love.

She had always known that he would die before her. Inuyasha's Kagome died shortly after Kohaku fell into the coma. She knew how hard it was for him even though Kagome had not suffered. Instead of passing in his sleep, Kohaku lingered. His sleep was not peaceful. It was fitful He called out and screamed, letting Shiori know that his demons were pursuing him into his unconscious world.

She refused to let him be alone despite her son's misgivings. He had stayed by her side for more than fifty years. She was not about to let him be alone. Sitting by his bed, she would hold his hand and talk to him. She would feed him and change him. Empty the chamber pot when he did his business. While she was on watch, he would not starve to death. When she slept, she slept by his side. Never wanting to leave even for a single minute.

Someday he would and she would be alone. Until that day she would stay by his side. Kohaku had always said he was cowardly because he allowed Naraku to take his memory and use him even after he regained his always rebuked him for these statements. At the time he had been an eleven-year boy. Never been in battle. Never been away from home. To be killed in his first battle and then rebornwas too much for him. No wonder he could not face what he had done. Eventually he did face his past and embrace his sister even at the cost of his own life.

To her he was the bravest man she knew. He fought against someone who could kill him anytime he wanted Fought alone without any hope of anything but his own death. She knew what that was like. Her mother gave her to her grandfather to use as his shield when he slaughtered the villagers. She put up with it until she discovered that her grandfather killed her father.

She could feel what he felt. He stood by her side for so long when she had no long. She would not leave his side until. Her son might question her reasoning, but she would make him see what his father truly was. The bravest man in the world. Such a man deserves the love and support of a good man. She would make sure that he was loved and cared for until he died.


	21. Educating Musushito

Title Education Musushito

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

POVKohaku

Prompt "The root of education is bitter, but the fruit is sweet" Aristotle

Word Count 1079

Warning character death

Summary Musushito finds the words to say goodbye to his father

"Hurry up or you will be left behind, Musushito" " A sloppy taijiya does not leave youkai alive" " Your sickle chain throws are sloppy, I was doing better than that when I was eleven." "You have to have strength of character. You would not have lasted five minutes at Naraku's side." "You can sleep when you are dead. Someone has to use the brain coral to protect the taijiya village. Your mother has not slept one night in the last twenty years. It is time for your to do your part.": Stand up straight, a taijiya does not slouch." "Kirara does not trust you. Only if you believe in yourself will she trust you." "Don't ever use that weapon again in the presence of your comrades. Until you can control it and yourself, you are more of menace to the taijiya than to the youkai." " They called you half-breed. Be proud of what you are. Running away shames all of us." "You will never their respect unless you are willing to lead. No leader stays at home cowering in his den. He faces the monster knowing that he may die."" Do you have any idea a taijiya is? Until you do, you are no fit to wear our uniform or fight with our weapons."

Everything negative his father said to him came back to him in full force at the funeral. Everyone was there for the great man. The founder of the new taijiya village. What was he? He was the worthless son who never earned his father's respect. The son who abandoned his father and mother when his father went into a coma.

His mother stared at him and whispered"What is wrong with you? Your father turned over actual leadership of the taijiya long ago. He believed in you. Now it is time to be a man and justify the faith he showed in you  
>Now is not the time to wallow in self=pity. Your father loved you and wanted what was best for you No gather your courage and say something nice about your father. Your people are expecting that of you."<p>

Musushito stumbled over the words. Could his mother actually be correct? Did his father love him? Did he actually believe in him?

He searched his memory. His training with his father. Teaching him about youkai and weapons. His first hunt. His first kill. His first wound. The first time he led a group of taijiya.

When he looked back, all he remembered was the criticism. Maybe his father was actually trying to teach him something with what Kagome referred to as tough love.

Caring about someone so much that they were willing to cause them pain in order to teach them how to by in case they fell in order to catch them if they fell. Maybe his father was watching out for him after all.

His father did believe in him. He may not have stepped down as headman, but he had turned over all his duties to him before he fell had led the taijiya for some time before his father's illness. His father had been a figurehead. All the taijiya knew who was really in taijiya and the taijiya village were everythHe stood up and faced the taijiya. The words flowed from his lips. He knew what kind of man,his father had been. Recounting his deeds was easy.

The hard part was telling the world what he felt about his father. For now those words stay between him and his father. If he only could have told him while he was alive that he loved him.

"Today I come to celebrate the life of a man. To many of you he was a great man. Rebuilding the Taijiya village out of nothing. Creating a solid wall between the youkai and humanity. A person who was strong yet took time to care about the progress of the weak and young."

"He knew what it was like to be weak for he once had been weak. Serve a master more evil than we will ever he strrove against evil until he was saved He never forgot that saving the life of a single person was more important than destroying the greatest evil on remember that when you are fighting evil. We must never think that the ends justifies the means.

"Today that great man died after a long struggle. Just as in life he never surrendered so in death he liveson  
>He lives on in the hearts of every taijiya whether great or small. We are a family united to fight evil So long as we are here Kohaku will never die."<p>

"My mother reminded me of something I had forgotten today that my father loved me. That love transecends time and links our heart together."

"My father will always be in my heart and the hearts of taijiya everywhere. Just as my father loved me, he also loved you.. Remember him now and always and he will always remain in our hearts."

With those words Musushito took his mother into a crushing embrace. Crying into her hair, he heard the words that she told him when he was afraid as a child.

"Never forget that your father and I love you and will always watch over you."

He looked at her and realized what he should have known alll his father said or did detracted at all from the feelings of love between father might be dead, but he was not dead. From today forward he would apply all the lessons he learned from Kohaku to lead the taijiya into a new era. Kohaku was dead, but his spirit remain. Musushio was determined that it would never die on his watch. He would make his father proud. He could be brave and strong knowing that he had nothing to fear because he had his father's love.


	22. Bittersweet Partings

Title Bittersweet Partings

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

Word Count 286

POV Shiori

Prompt Bittersweet

Warning mentions of character deaths

Summary Shiori visits the taijiya graves after her marriage to Inuyasha

She laid the lilies where she knew the graves were. It was her secret place now. The rest place of the taijiya. The resting place of her family.

It was merely a meadow in the middle of the forest now. The taijiya village had ceased to exist hundreds of years ago. When their prey declined in number need for taijiya declined until only Musushito remained.

As the last of the taijiya he had clung tenaciously to the ways that his father taught him. At the end even he had seen that his time was done.

They had cried together alone one last time knowing that they would never meet again in this life. He sad to leave his mother. Her sad because a mother should never bury her son

He never married leaving no one to carry on when he died. When he died, the walls came down. Everything she and Kohaku built disappeared except the graves.

She came back every year to place lilies from Kohaku's secret place on the graves They might be unmarked, but as long as she remembered them they would still be there.

At last she knelt before the Jizo where Musushito was buried. It hurt being here even more than Kohaku's grave. She did not leave because it meant saying goodbye again.

Clapping she said a final prayer and got up to leave. She heard laughter and looked up into the ghostly face of her son He looked the same as he had the day he told her that he would be reborn.

" Mother, bring that no good husband of yours next year. He needs to get bury and give you a son. Third time is a charm"


	23. Third Time is a Charm

Title Third Time is a Charm

Author landofthekwt

Rating PG-13

POV Shiori

Word Count 1080

Warning Birth

Summary Musushito is born again to Inuyasha and Shiori

Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results." Willie Nelson

Everyone said that children were a blessing. Normally Shiori would agree. Musushito had been the light of her life for nearly three hundred fifty years. He had given her a second chance after she miscarried the first time. She had not failed him. He had been everything she and Kohaku hoped him to be. Successfully defending humanity in the Edo period.

Once Tokugawa died, there were fewer battles and fewer youkai. The weak youkai faded so much that when the Revolution came,the taijiya were caught unprepared. The lesser youkai and the taijiya exterminated each other It was only through Inuyasha's help that she and Musushito survived to see modern Japan.

By the end he had faded knowing that the taijiya had no place in the modern world any more than the lesser youkai they preyed on. Inuyasha told her of his promise to marry Shiori made to Musushito on his death bed. Musushito made a promise to her. To come back to her a third time.

By that time she despaired of ever having another child. Musuhsiot had been both twice in the first two years of her marriage to Kohaku. For the remaining fifty she never conceived. she had been with Inuyasha for four hundred years. It almost made her believe hanyou were barren.

She and Inuyasha knew that that was not true. While She and Kohaku only had one child and Musushito never fathered a child, many of Inuyasha and Kagome's descendants still roamed the earth, though their blood made them indistinguishable from humans. Inuyasha had tried to keep track of them, but any of them died in the war.

It was only at the last memorial service that she felt the sttirrings of life within her. As he grew, she had no doubt about the child within her was Musushito. Would he remember her his previous life. The spirit of Musushito who appeared to her after her miscarriage was an adult who assured her that he would be born if she just tried again

There had been no appearance this time at the memorial service just the feelings that he was with her,just as he had been before her was born. When she discovered she was pregnant she hesitated to tell Inuyasha He had issues of his own regarding reincarnation having loved two women who shared the same soul.

Fright before her wedding she feared that he was her as a replacement for Kagome until her reassured her that Shiori was Shiori her fears calmed she married it never occurred to her that they would have children. Not till the hundred anniversary of Mushito's passing. Now that she knew for certain that it was Musushito who was being reborn she would to tell Inuyasha.

She finally got him away from Mrs. Higursahi. Mama as she insisted on being called had never seen any of Inuyasha' and Kagome's children. Twenty generations had been born and died since then. None of whom knew Inuyasha. he had them in the dark about Kagome for fear of screwing up the time line.

It was only when Kaogme completed the time circuit by going down the well for the last time that he revealed himself to Mrs Higurrashi. Only later that they married. Now she was expecting a child. To Mrs. Higurashi Shiori had become her own daughter and they child would be her grandchild. Inuyasha and \Shiori did not want to disabuse her. Their own parents were long dead.

She did not have time for this. Her contracts were too close together to ignore. Inuyasha was by her side holding her hand. Mrs Higurashi was telling her to punch. It was show time. Time for Musushito to be born again. Somehow it would all work out. Inuyasha wa a good father. She was a good mother. Mrs Higurashi could be bacchan for them all. Musushito would be her secret.

The irresistable urge to push came upon her maternal instinct kicked in. He was coming. the doctor could see the top of his head. Luckilyfor them there were no telltale ears or wings. Mrs Higurashi would be disappointed, but Musushito looked human last time. Appartently he did this time too. he would fit in to humna socitey without the chrams they used.

His first cry came. Shiori was lucky For the third time in her life she would greet Musushito Welcome son, It has been one hundred years. I am so glad to see you again. May we never be parted again.. Inuyasha handed the baby to her with a smirk " You aren't fooling anybody. Thats Musushito right. i knew he would come back to watch over you and make sure I treated you right. Thanks for coming back kid. your mother missed you so much"

Shiori looked at the child in her arms. She could not bring herself to name him Musushito. Musushito had been Musushito. He had been shaped by Kohaku by the taijiya, by Miroku and as. He did not remember his previous turn on the wheel He was just a precious little boy would not No, she should love him for himself not Musushito she was what love was. Loving the person for what they are..

Shiori looked at Inuyasha " What should we do about a name? We can't use Musushtio. That was his name It would confuse us all."

Inuyasha nodded Reincarnation was never a problem so long as you remembered that though they had the same soul,that Kikyou and Kagome were different persons He had loved them both, but not in the same way. Each person deserved their own name and their own love because they were unique persons

The baby was not Musushito Would never be Musushito in Shiiroi's eyes He needed a name of his own so that they would not confuse him with his brother. Inuyasha thought about it a minute and said "Sannin. He is the third and makes us three"

Shiori thought about it awhile and smiled. He did make them three. Complete in her eyes. A child of their own. Musushito had been her and Kohaku's Inuyasha and Kaogme's children had been theirs. Sannin would belong to Inuyasha and Shiori. so long as they lived. He would be their legacy She was ready " I think that he is Sannin."


	24. Reflections of the Way Life Used to Be

Title Reflections of the Way Life Used to Be

Author landofthekwt

Rating K

POV Shiori

Word Count 300

Warning none

Summary Inuyasha and Shiori prepare for the name ceremony for Sannin

Shiori stared at the tiny baby sleeping in her arms and reflected on her life. Remembering the first time she held Musushito in her arms. She was as happy then as she was now.

The baby that became Musushito was her and Kohaku's proudest achievement Not the rebirth to the taijiya and the rebuilding of the taijiya village.

Those had been Kohaku's dreams The things that banished his nightmares. She had been there to help. By his side, he could do anything. That was she would not leave his side until he died.

Musushito was the culmination of his dream. The person who made sure that the taijiya were there whenever humans needed them to fight youkai When they were no longer needed they faded into history

She treasured every day of his life Her only complaints were that Kohaku missed much of his life being human and that she had to endure one hundred years without Musushtio

She looked around the shrine. Goshiboku was in full glory. Mrs Higurashi was crying and Souta was taking pictures. A peaceful place on the outskirts of modern Tokyo a city of thirty-two million. Inuyasha fidgeted as Ji-chan prepared for the naming ceremony

Back then it had only been her, her mother, Kohaku, Inuyasha and Kagome, Sesshoumaru and Rin, and Miroku and Sango. Miroku conducted the naming ceremony before the graves in the ruins of the taijiya village

She, Musushtio Inuyasha were the only ones left from that day. Musushito was no longer Mutsuhito He might have the same soul, but after today he would be Sannin

What's in a name? Times had changed people might have changed, but she still loved her little boy. Only death could take him from last hundred years taught that she never wanted to separated from him again and that she would treasure every moment of their lives together.


End file.
